Caught on video: Tense interaction between Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, reporter
MIAMI -- Miami Herald reporter Sarah Blaskey was asking Miami Mayor Francis Suarez about an ethics complaint and then he appeared to grab at her phone.
"You can talk to my assistant. I have a comms director. He knows the protocol," Suarez said.
Then, Blaskey's phone is moved away from the mayor.
"You just grabbed my phone," said Blaskey
"Don't put the phone in anybody's face," said his bodyguard.
According to the Miami Herald, Suarez's taxpayer-funded bodyguard intervened, stepping in front of the mayor while simultaneously acknowledging the reporters' right to record.
The Florida Commission on Ethics is reviewing a complaint about Suarez's attendance at expensive sporting events, including the Miami Formula One race in May.
The question is, who paid for his VIP access?
The Office of Mayor Francis Suarez gave out this statement to CBS News Miami regarding the interaction caught on video:
"The mayor has repeatedly responded to inquiries from the paper of record regarding Formula One (F1). This past Saturday, after answering several questions on the topic, without prior notice and unnecessarily, a reporter invaded the mayor's personal space by placing a cellphone inches away from his face, which surprised him. As any human being would react, he moved the device away with his hand. Unfortunately, this journalistic entity seeks to divert attention rather than inform the public about what truly matters, such as the fact that the complaint to the ethics committee regarding the F1 issue was dismissed yesterday."
The Miami Herald is a news partner to CBS News Miami.